For Best Results
by Kalira69
Summary: Shiro has a perfect solution for some roommate related woes. (Written for Sheith Month, Day 7)


Written for Day 7 of Sheith Month: Garrison Days.

* * *

"Shirogane!"

Shiro came to a stop, glancing over his shoulder and then turning to salute. "Yes sir?" Matt hesitated and then stopped to wait for him.

"I have your reassignment request." Commander Ryu frowned slightly. "You sure about this, cadet?"

"Yes, sir." Shiro said with a small smile. He bowed his head. "I thought it through before I submitted the request. I really do think it will be for the best." he added earnestly. No one Matt knew did earnest as well as Shiro.

"Hn." Commander Ryu sighed. "I hope you're correct." He held out a thin folder to Shiro. "Request approved, Cadet Shirogane. Good luck."

"Thank you sir." Shiro said, grinning at the papers he held.

"What's that about?" Matt asked, elbowing him.

"Room transfer request." Shiro said absently, turning back to continue down the corridor as he flipped open the file.

". . .you put in for a room reassignment?" Matt asked, eyebrows rising. "Why? I thought you got on fine with Marinos. You said you were fine when I offered to put in with you to share a room at the beginning of the year."

"We do get along just fine. We're not close or anything, but we coexist without any problems, that's not why." Shiro said, closing the folder again and moving a little faster.

"Then why. . ." Matt hated it when Shiro did this; he was too short to keep up easily with Shiro's long-legged strides, and if he wanted to question Shiro or keep up a conversation they'd already gotten into he wound up half-running after his friend. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"To tell my new roommate I'll be switching in with him." Shiro said, glancing at Matt and slowing down a little.

Matt's brows drew together. "Uh. . . Didn't you _both_ have to sign it, if you put in for a specific room assignment?" he asked as they passed into the dorm hallways. Both cadets _did_ have to sign, Matt knew because last year he had submitted one himself.

"Yes." Shiro looked shifty.

" _Cadet Shirogane_ , did you _fake it_?" Matt asked, amused and delighted.

"He signed it." Shiro said, clearing his throat. "He just may not have been . . . entirely aware of what I was doing with the paper he signed."

Matt shook his head. "Shiro, you-" he broke off, looking at the door where Shiro had stopped. He knocked. "Wait, this is. . ."

The door opened. "Shiro." Keith said, looking slightly less sullen or distant than he did most of the times Matt saw him.

"Keith's room." Matt finished, then glanced sideways at Shiro, who was smiling awkwardly at Keith. Shiro _was_ an awkward, nice guy, but he only ever hit these levels around Keith. Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses. This was either going to make them sort out whatever was between them, or go down in flames.

Keith's eyes flicked to him and he dipped his head at Matt before apparently dismissing him, attention focusing back on Shiro. "What's up?"

"Ah, that is- You remember-" Shiro broke off, then thrust out the folder he held.

Keith blinked at him, then took it, shifting to rest one hip against the doorframe. He opened it and skimmed the top sheet. "This is-" He frowned, brows drawing together. ". . .Shiro?" he asked, looking up uncertainly.

"I thought- I know you and Parson don't get along at- at all, and you've been having trouble, and I- I mean, you and I get along, or at least I feel like we do, don't we?" Shiro asked hopefully, and Matt restrained the urge to smack his hand over his face. Shiro was the only person Keith tolerated without _looking_ like he was just tolerating their existence, possibly by a very slim margin, and Shiro came over like _this_ every time he saw Keith, so yeah, they got along pretty well. "So I thought this might . . . help. Or. Be nice?"

Keith looked back at the folder, then bit his lip. "You're going to be my roommate?" he asked, his voice gaining a hopeful sort of lilt.

"As soon as Parson gets his things packed and out. Which he has to in the next three days." Shiro agreed, nodding once, firmly, like he would in class. "I hope that's okay?"

Keith smiled slightly, nodding. "Of course, Shiro. That's- I'm happy to have you as my roommate. Especially instead of Parson." he added, lip curling.

Matt snorted, but then, he didn't care for Parson either. Stuck up jackass.

"Good." Shiro said warmly.

They just looked at each other for a long moment.

" _Well_ , I have a class to get to. . ." Matt said, patting Shiro's arm and beginning to back away. "You two have fun gazing into each others' eyes awkwardly." he muttered under his breath as he headed away for the class he had in - he checked his phone - twenty-seven minutes.

* * *

"Hey Shiro."

Shiro startled, then smiled. "Hey." He closed the door behind himself and moved over to one of the desks to unload his stack of books and papers there. They had been sharing one desk for studying, and currently had a series of star maps assembled on the other.

It was nice, studying companionably together. It was nice to be welcomed back when he returned to their room, too, but he wasn't quite used to it yet.

"How did it go with Ryu?" Keith asked, flipping through the book he held open on his stomach.

"Fine." Shiro said, sorting through the books for one in particular. "He said he hopes to put me forward for a new project, but he couldn't give me too many details yet. Ah, he lent me a few books, and I think you might enjoy this one."

He took it with him to the bunks, and Keith looked up, raising his eyebrows. The bottom one, where Keith was lying, was technically Shiro's, not that he minded.

He climbed onto the bed beside Keith and offered the book. Keith put the one he was reading down on his other side and accepted it, flipping it to read the back. Shiro shifted, and Keith reached up to run a hand over his shoulder, tapping lightly and then holding his arm out.

Shiro grinned and let his knees slide further down the bed, sprawling on his stomach and propping his head on his folded arms. Keith elbowed him lightly and he laughed, moving closer and letting his head rest on Keith's slender shoulder instead.

"Thank you for the book." Keith snuggled against him a little, letting Shiro's weight pin him to the bed. Shiro curled one arm over his stomach and sighed contentedly.

Keith laughed, bouncing Shiro a little, and rubbed at the nape of Shiro's neck with one hand, putting the new book aside as well. His free hand came to settle on Shiro's back.

"I'm glad to share a room with you." Shiro said absently, humming. It had only been a little more than a week, but they were already more comfortable sharing space than any of Shiro's prior roommates had been - and Keith had been . . . a problem, with dorm assignments, since he first walked into the Galaxy Garrison a year ago.

"Me too." Keith agreed, fingertips lazily scritching through the soft hair high on Shiro's neck. "Even if you tricked me into signing the request without asking."

Shiro sighed contentedly, then drew in a sharp breath as Keith's words registered. "Oh! I- Um." He faltered.

"Did you really think I wouldn't figure out that both parties have to sign off on the request for a specific assignment?" Keith asked wryly, fingers smoothing down Shiro's neck again.

"I did think it might take slightly longer." Shiro admitted. "Or that you might not care enough to notice." He winced.

"I didn't say I mind." Keith pointed out, squeezing the back of Shiro's neck. He looked up and saw Keith was smiling at him. "But I _did_ notice."

"Sorry?" Shiro offered with a winning smile.

Keith snickered, and the smile softened into his usual one. "Don't be sorry." Keith told him, twisting under his arm and curling around Shiro a little. "I told you, I'm happy with this arrangement." He wriggled a little. "Just a little surprised at you. Did you want to room with me so much? Or . . . were you that worried about _me_?" he asked, frowning.

It was a little of both, actually. Shiro truly liked spending time with Keith, so the solution to the possible problem of Keith's roommate - the fifth before him - had been attractive, but. . .

"It gives us an excuse to spend more time together." Shiro said, not quite an answer. "And it got Parson away from you." he added with a huff.

Keith growled. "Ugh. Yes. Except for nav classes; he's in both of mine."

"I'm sure you can ignore him there." Shiro shifted and propped himself up on one elbow, leaning in to kiss Keith's cheek. "You're good at that; just outshine him like you always do and he'll slink away."

Keith smiled a little, stretching lazily and settling back. "Yeah, I guess."

Shiro had also been worried for his friend if Keith kept getting into trouble with fellow cadets - _especially_ his roommates. He was a _brilliant_ flyer, and he was smart and quick, but he was also wilfully independent and he showed little respect to the teachers unless he, well, actually respected them personally.

Keith was not cut out for serving with the Galaxy Garrison in almost as many ways as he was _perfectly_ cut out for what they needed in cadets. Shiro just wanted to help him stay, if this was what he wanted - and not entirely selflessly, either. _He_ wanted to keep Keith here.

He _always_ wanted to keep Keith near him, if he could, and he was trying to ignore the fact that eventually . . . life was probably going to pull them apart in ways Shiro couldn't work around if he just tried hard enough. Shiro pressed his cheek against Keith's collarbone, arm tightening around his slim waist.

"You okay, Shiro?" Keith asked, his voice lilting with concern and softer than Shiro ever heard it when they weren't alone.

His chest felt tight. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." he said, and thought _please never be taken away from me_.


End file.
